In the manufacture of foods it is common to distribute food particles upon a base food. For instance, in pie making the ingredients of the pie are evenly distributed over the crust, and such even distribution of food particles is highly desirable in the making of pizza. Commonly, pizza is formed by distributing cheese particles, and other food particles, evenly over a crust prior to baking.
The popularity of pizza, and the high volume production thereof, necessitates both for quality and economical reasons that the pizza ingredients be evenly distributed over the pizza surface. Such even distribution of a predetermined portion of food particles, particularly cheese, are important to give the pizza an attractive consistent appearance, uniform baking characteristics, and uniform cutting and taste characteristics. Heretofore, a food particle distributor of such a size as to be practical for use in retail stores in the making of pizza has not been available.
In the baking arts various types of food distributors or sifters have been devised, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,186,358, 3,415,376 and 3,648,649. However, such prior art devices are not suitable for distributing cheese upon pizza, and the distribution of food ingredients upon pizza in retail stores continues to be done by hand wherein the distribution of the food particles is entirely dependent upon the skill of the pizza maker.
It is an object of the invention to provide a food particle distributor of economical construction and such ease of use and dependability of operation as to be practical in the high production making of pizza.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cheese distributor for use in making pizza wherein minimal operator skills are required, and a uniform distribution of cheese over the surface of the pizza is attained.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cheese distributor for pizza wherein a predetermined amount of cheese may be readily confined within a hopper and released as a mass over a screen distributor wherein the only forces necessary to produce the food distribution are gravitational.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cheese distributor for use in making pizza wherein the distributor may be easily cleaned and will meet food sanitation requirements.
In the practice of the invention a cylindrical frame is located over the pizza upon which cheese is to be distributed. The frame includes a screen located in a spaced relationship above the pizza, and the screen is of a conical configuration converging in an upward direction.
A hopper is mounted upon the frame at its upper region and includes a cylindrical tube closed at its lower end by a spring biased trap door arrangement wherein particles of cheese may be located within the hopper and constrained therein by the trap door. Upon release of the trap door the cheese located within the hopper is released as a mass and maintains the configuration as confined within the hopper as it falls toward the screen. Upon the cheese mass striking the screen the particles are quickly distributed by gravitational forces over and through the screen and the particles are evenly distributed over the lower frame area and upon a pizza located below the lower region of the frame.
The screen includes a hole defined in the apex of the screen conical configuration of a diameter less than the diameter of the hopper, and also, a solid baffle impervious to movement of food particles therethrough is located upon the screen adjacent the opening. The opening and the baffle aid in the even distribution of the food particles under gravitational forces, and the combination of the release of the cheese particles in a mass, the configuration and shape of the screen including the opening, baffle and size of the screen openings all permit the cheese particles to be distributed in an even manner over the area located below the screen, and over the surface of a pizza located below the screen and frame.